ARA: Seeking counter top retailer recommendations

We are looking to replace our countertops. Do your readers have any recommendations as to where to purchase kitchen countertops? Who has the best value? Service? Unfortunately, we have to get a custom cut and cannot buy a piece from somewhere like Grossman’s because we have a breakfast bar that is wider than those pieces. We are considering all types of countertops at this point.

22 Responses

I am getting ready to remodel my kitchen in the summer, so I’m glad you asked this question! Are you looking for laminate or granite? I saw a tv commercial the other day for Precision Granite in Cohoes (237-0808). Not sure of their prices, but it may be worth a call. Like you, I am curious to see what others have to say.

I went to Capital Stone in Saratoga. Great people and value, and they had the shade of brown I absolutely love. Installed very well. Granite & Marble Works was my second choice but they didn’t have the color I wanted.

I remodeled my kitchen recently and had just come across that paperwork – I used Stands Under the Son Custom Countertops – located on O’Dell Street is Sch’dy. They template and installed my Corian countertop – looks great – got the integrated sink -so no lip of the sink to wipe over. And they were less expensive than big box stores. Good Luck!

Check out Curtis Lumber in Clifton Park area-not sure the exact location at this moment. They have granite,Corian,quartz and all the same offerings that other specialty places carry but their prices are more reasonable ans the service that we experienced was terrific.

Builders Kitchens on Central Avenue in Colonie. Our home was built 22 years ago, our builder had us work with them. We got a laminate counter (plenty of patterns, color, and feature choices) in a subtle marble pattern with a color-matching solid backsplash that extends from the top of the counter to the underside of the upper cabinets and runs the full length of our L-shaped counter. It cleans with a wipe, never needs maintenance (e.g., paint, grout cleaning, etc.). They are still in business and they still handle the same laminate manufacturers they did then. They handle laminate, cultured marble, solid surface (e.g., Corian), granite, and quartz countertops. I just went back to them to try to get exact replacement hinges for our kitchen cabinets – likely, an impossibility – but they are working with me to give it a try! They got a website at http://www.builderskitchens.com/index.shtml

We went through Lowes to get our solid surface countertop done (LG HiMacs), but the contractor who came and did the installation was Solid Surface in Glenville. Great installation, staff was good to work with.

Don’t rule out rustoleum countertop refinish kit. Unless you are sold on stone. Granite and marble are beautiful but do have their issues. Make sure you read up on the care and health issue associated with real stone counters.
I did the refinish kit as an inexpesive fix to terrible looking counterters and it looks fantastic… Just an option to look at.

Just had Empire State Stone on North Pearl do our kithen/bath counters on our new construction home and they did a really nice job–looks beautiful and the quartz product we selected is even harder than granite and doesn’t need sealing. We selected Caesar Stone over granite. We had Corian in our former home and while I liked the look, I found that it scratched very easily, so didn’t pick it again. For some reason never been a fan of granite for kitchen countertops. We have it on furniture tops in the dining room so don’t have to worry about sealing it every year or 2.

Be very careful regarding granite countertops. With the demand so high, granite is being mined in increasing quantities. As a result, there are incidents of “hot”, read:radioactive countertops being installed. Granite is a known source of uranium ore, which degrades to radon. I’d ask any installed to warranty that the granite item installed is not emitting radon before I’d have it installed in MY house…

I had mine done through Curtis Lumber in Clifton Park just over a year ago. They designed the whole thing, came out and measured twice(it’s a new house and I’m over an hour away), and arranged for it to be installed by one of their contractors. The contractor was quick and did an excellent job! They even added a backsplash that goes up to my cabinets. My counter top is formica and I couldn’t be happier with it and the service I got! Hope this helps, good luck!

Your best bet is to shop around. You might get a great deal at Home Depot or go to a kitchen design place. One person’s experience may not be the best for you. Be prepared to be confused, there are a lot of choices out there. Make sure you do your research.

We just built a house and Empire State Stone was great to work with. They have a large selection and were very helpful when we wanted to change layouts and had suggestions. They also let you look at the granite and approve it once it comes in to be sure you like it as it can vary from the samples. I’m not sure on price as it was included in our package with the builder. Also, Michelle at Builders Kitchen did our kitchen/bath cabinets and countertops in the bathrooms and was very helpful as well and had lots of suggestions.

If you want solid surface (not stone), then I would highly recommend Countertop Fabrications in Saratoga (http://www.countertopfabrication.com/). He was incredibly helpful, professional, and fast. All custom made to fit our kitchen. He even rebuilt our island to make it more functional.

Had a bad experience at Park Building a few years ago. Had Corian selected and the installer did the wrong edge and we didn’t notice until after the installation–assumed it would be right as we made such a big deal about confirming it. We had carefully planned the job so we would not be without use of the kitchen for more than a day. He offered to take all the counters off and redo them, but we didn’t want the inconvenience of being without use of the kitchen for a week. The installer Park used would not even give us his name–not even a first name–he said to call the store to reach him:/ We did end up getting a reduced price from Park Bldg as we told them we got a Home Depot job at their higher price!

I agree wholeheartedly with #9 and 10. We remodeled our kitchen this past fall and worked with Builders’ Kitchen. We also went with Cambria countertops which we love. Stay away from Precision Granite – our neighbors used them and were VERY unhappy with them.